New solar energy capacity comes online in the US in April

Solar energy continues to gain momentum in the US

Solar energy has been making strong progress in the U.S. in recent years. The country has been focusing on solar energy as a potential avenue throughout which it can abandon fossil-fuels. While this goal may be somewhat lofty and unattainable in the foreseeable future, the U.S. has been showing enough support for solar energy to make this goal feasible, at least. As the U.S. continues to throw support behind solar energy, the country’s capacity continues to grow.

33MW of new capacity comes online in April

According to information from the federal government, more than 33 megawatts of new solar energy capacity was installed in the U.S. in April of this year. Approximately 17 megawatts of this capacity came online through the Yuma Foothills Solar Power Plant in Arizona, with the rest of the capacity coming from installations in Ohio and California. With these new installations coming online, the U.S. now boasts of some 5.14 gigawatts of total solar energy capacity.

Solar energy projects expected to introduce new capacity by end of year

The Yuma Foothills Solar Power Plant is currently in its first phase of development. In subsequent phases, more solar energy capacity will be introduced to the country. The second phase alone will add an additional 18 megawatts of solar energy capacity, but this phase is not expected to be completed until the end of 2013. Other solar energy projects throughout the U.S. are following a similar activation pattern, with many expected to add new solar energy capacity to the country by the end of this year as well.

US may eventually establish itself as a leader in solar power

While the U.S. has become a strong supporter of solar energy, it still falls behind Germany, which is often considered the world champion when it comes to solar energy. Germany has stepped back from its aggressive support of solar power recently, opening up an opportunity for the U.S. to establish itself as a global leader in this regard, but the country has yet to show sufficient support for solar power in order to claim such a title.